Version 2 of the Rainfall Intensity software is now available! It corrects many of the "bugs" reported in the previous version.

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USER'S MANUAL

REQUIRED DATABASES

Create a "rainfall" database

Create a "rainfall_stats" database

Set each database as a System DSN to allow connection to the RAIN software

RAINSTART

Open the RAIN software

Log On to RAIN software programs

RAINDIGITIZER

Getting Started - Things to Do Before You Begin Digitizing

Log On

Link to your "rainfall" database

Digitize a strip chart and save as an x,y ascii file on your hard drive

QC the digitized strip charts

Load digitized ascii file(s) to your "rainfall" database

Convert digitized ascii file(s) to meaningful rainfall data (time-depth series) and store in your "rainfall" database

RAINPLOT

Select a dataset (select data to analyze)

Quality control the selected data (view raw rainfall data)

Analyze the selected data using predictive statistical curve fits (includes IDF analysis)

Create a report (automated reports showing various results)

Show monthly and seasonal summaries

Display data on map using RAINMAP

Edit hydrologic default settings (customize program settings such as "months that comprise a water year" and others)

RAINSHARE

Log On

Edit, add, or delete data in your "rainfall" database

Export or import your "rainfall" database

Rainplot Instructions - Select a Dataset

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Topics

- Select a dataset (choose station and date range and retrieve dataset from your "rainfall" database)

- Quality control the dataset

- Analyze the dataset (fit data to probability distributions and generate IDF curves)

- Create reports (generate automated reports of your analyses)

- Show summaries (show mean monthly, mean annual, and other summaries statistics)

- Display data on map

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RAINPLOT allows you to retrieve a set of rainfall-intensity data (time-depths) from your "rainfall" database. This dataset may then be used to perform statistical analyses and to generate automated reports, plots, and maps as described in other RAINPLOT sections of this User's Manual. Follow these instructions to select a dataset.

1. Click the 'Select Dataset' button on the main menu.

The following window will open and provide a series of prompts that you will use to define your dataset.

2. Use the pull down list for the 'Select Rainfall Stats Database' to select the "rainfall_stats" database that will temporarily hold the statistical summaries of your retrieved data. The "rainfall_stats" database must be set as a 'System DSN' before it will appear in the pull down list (typically this is done automatically during the initial installation of the software). In most cases you will use the same "rainfall_stats" database every time you use RAINPLOT because the software is designed to recompute and overwrite the summaries each time you select a new dataset. The database you select will be set as the default and will not need to be changed.

3. Select the source of your rainfall data by connecting to a "rainfall" database. Use the pull down list for the 'Select Source of Rainfall Data' to make your choice. Again, this database must be set as a 'System DSN' before it will appear in the pull down list. After you make your database selection, you will define the data you wish to retrieve by using a series of pull down lists.

4. The pull down lists that you will use to define your dataset are described below. The contents of each list are based upon the selection you made from the preceding pull down list.

'Select Core Party' - The Core Party that is responsible for the dataset that you wish to retrieve. The Core Parties in the list are those that are stored in the STATION table of your "rainfall" database.

'Select Agency' - The Agency responsible for this dataset. The Agencies in the list are those that are stored in the STATION table of your "rainfall" database that are associated with the selected Core Party..

'Select Gage (Station)' - The station of interest. The stations in the list are those that are stored in the STATION table of your "rainfall" database that are associated with the selected Agency.

'Source of Data' - The type of data. Select whether you want to retrieve "chart" (recorder), "logger" (data logger), or "manual" (daily gage) data.

'Select All Instruments at Station' or 'Select One Instrument'. Typically you will select all instruments that have ever collected data at this station. In rare instances, you may wish to select and retrieve data from only one specific instrument if, for example, you have reason to believe that data from some of the instruments are of questionable quality.

If you select all instruments, a pop up window will open for informational purposes, as shown below, with a list of the instruments from which data will be retrieved.

Click 'OK'. This will display the range (in years) of data that exist in the database and that are available for retrieval. If you wish to retrieve only a subset of these data select the appropriate 'Start Date' and 'End Date'. Click 'Retrieve Dataset'.

After a few moments, a message box will appear with the following statement: "Data has been retrieved and loaded into a temporary database called Rainfall_Stats. The data is now ready to be analyzed - click OK to continue." The retrieved data have now been summarized and stored in the temporary database called "rainfall_stats". These summaries will be used to perform analyses and to generate reports, maps, and plots.

Click 'OK' to return to the main menu of RAINPLOT.

Proceed to the next section titled 'Quality control the dataset' or return to the main RAINPLOT instructions page.